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RR RUEHAG RUEHAST RUEHDA RUEHDBU RUEHDF RUEHFL RUEHIK RUEHKW RUEHLA
RUEHLN RUEHLZ RUEHMRE RUEHPOD RUEHROV RUEHSR RUEHVK RUEHYG
DE RUEHSK #0635/01 2011349
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 201349Z JUL 07 ZDK
FM AMEMBASSY MINSK
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 6298
INFO RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE
RUCNOSC/ORGANIZATION FOR SECURITY COOPERATION IN EUROPE
RHMFISS/HQ USEUCOM VAIHINGEN GE
RUFOADA/JAC MOLESWORTH RAF MOLESWORTH UK

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 MINSK 000635 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PREL PHUM ECON EPET ENRG BO
SUBJECT: Embassy Minsk Weekly Pol/Econ Report - July 19, 2007 
 
 
¶1.  The following are brief items of interest compiled by Embassy 
Minsk. 
 
TABLE OF CONTENTS 
 
Civil Society 
------------- 
- Opposition Adopts Parliamentary Elections Guidelines (para. 2) 
- Daughters Visit Kozulin (para. 3) 
- Polish Journalist Banned Entry to Belarus (para. 4) 
- Union of Left-Wing Parties to Join UDF (para. 5) 
- Activists Demonstrate Over Monastery Reconstruction (para. 6) 
- Milinkevich Briefly Detained (para. 7) 
- Opposition Activists Briefly Detained and Fined (para. 8) 
- GOB Registers Minsk Communist Party (para. 9) 
- MF Continues Solidarity Drive on Foot (para. 10) 
- Activist Forced to Join the Army (para. 11) 
 
Domestic Economy 
---------------- 
- Lukashenko Beefs Up Anti-Corruption Efforts (para. 12) 
 
International Trade 
------------------- 
- Belarus-China Economic Relations on The Rise (para. 13) 
 
- Quote of the Week (para. 14) 
 
------------- 
Civil Society 
------------- 
 
¶2. Opposition Adopts Parliamentary Elections Guidelines 
 
The Political Council (PC) of the United Democratic Forces (UDF) on 
July 13 agreed on principles of the coalition's participation in the 
2008 parliamentary elections, particularly that the coalition would 
field only one candidate per district.  The PC set September 1 as 
the start of the election campaign, which would include pursuing 
changes to the Electoral Code and educating citizens about 
infringements of their voter rights.  Campaign managers will work in 
a joint coordinating center under the PC and will present a list of 
candidates by September 15.  Opposition members who are actively 
involved in political campaigns and have previous experience in 
elections will be eligible to be a candidate.  The PC will present a 
final list by January 1, 2008 and determine key electoral districts. 
 Former presidential candidate Aleksandr Milinkevich and his For 
Freedom movement (FF) announced on July 13 that they would not 
nominate candidates.  Malady Front (MF) agreed to participate, but 
Milinkevich noted that the MF would fight for "procedure" and not 
"for power." 
 
¶3. Daughters Visit Kozulin 
 
Daughters of jailed presidential candidate Aleksandr Kozulin, Olga 
and Yuliya Kozulina, spent three days at the Vitba prison with their 
father.  Olga and Yuliya arrived at the prison on July 13 for what 
they called "humiliating" clearance procedures.  Guards reportedly 
checked all food, books, clothes, and personal belongings.  Olga 
maintained that her father remained optimistic, but was feeling 
fatigued, drowsy, and unable to exercise due to back pain.  She said 
he had not recovered from his 53-day hunger strike.  Olga added that 
prison authorities strongly discourage inmates from socializing with 
Kozulin and censored his mail.  Both daughters confirmed rumors that 
a prison guard attempted to hit Kozulin in January, but the incident 
had not been recorded and no other cases of assaults followed. 
 
¶4. Polish Journalist Banned Entry to Belarus 
 
Polish reporter for the Polish newspaper "Gazeta Wyborcza" Waclaw 
Radziwinowicz was not allowed to transit Belarus on July 16 on his 
way to Moscow.  Belarusian border guards ordered Radziwinowicz off 
the train, held him for five hours at passport control, and then 
boarded him on a train back to Poland.  Authorities did not issue 
"denied entry" stamps, but advised Radziwinowicz to reach Moscow by 
air or transiting through Ukraine.  Radziwinowicz previously worked 
in Minsk until the GOB denied him press accreditation in September 
¶2006.  He reportedly had the required Belarusian transit visa. 
 
¶5. Union of Left-Wing Parties to Join UDF 
 
On July 16, Acting Chair of the Belarusian Social-Democratic Party 
Gramada (BSDP-Gramada) Anatoly Levkovich announced that the Union of 
Left-Wing Parties (ULP) would be part of the UDF.  During a second 
ULP founding convention on July 13, the BSDP-Gramada, the Party of 
Communists of Belarus (PCB), Women's Party 'Nadzeya', and the 
unregistered Party of Labor adopted the ULP charter and formed a 
Central Council to be co-chaired by member-parties' leaders. 
Levkovich denied allegations that the ULP was created as an 
alternative to the UDF, calling it a "rapprochement between 
 
MINSK 00000635  002 OF 003 
 
 
pro-democratic forces" to facilitate coordination in the UDF work. 
He noted member-parties would soon file a second ULP registration 
application to the Ministry of Justice (MOJ) after the MOJ denied 
the coalition registration earlier this year. 
 
¶6. Activists Demonstrate Over Monastery Reconstruction 
 
Over 100 youth activists on July 16 demonstrated at the site of the 
former Bernardine monastery in downtown Minsk to protest its 
conversion into a hotel and entertainment center.  Demonstrators lit 
candles and prayed for the return of the building to the Roman 
Catholic St. Joseph community before singing an alternative anthem 
and dispersing.  Security forces observed the demonstration, but did 
not make any arrests. 
 
¶7. Milinkevich Briefly Detained 
 
Police on July 17 detained FF leader Milinkevich in Ostrovets, near 
the Lithuanian border.  Milinkevich's press office claimed 
Milinkevich arrived in Ostrovets to recruit activists for his 
movement, but the police approached him after his meeting with local 
residents.  According to police, Milinkevich had to go to the police 
station to explain his stay in a border area, which is restricted 
territory without proper permission.  He was released an hour and a 
half later without any charges filed against him. 
 
¶8. Opposition Activists Briefly Detained and Fined 
 
Police on July 18 detained FF members Evgeny Prokurat and Ilya 
Shimansky in Beryoza for three hours before releasing them.  The 
activists were distributing leaflets on the benefits of a better 
relationship with the European Union (EU) if democratic reforms are 
made in Belarus.  Police confiscated the leaflets and made the 
activists explain their activities in writing.  On July 19, a 
district judge fined another FF activist Yaroslav Bernikovich in 
Glubokoye USD 145 for participating in an unauthorized demonstration 
and distributing leaflets on July 15. 
 
¶9. GOB Registers Minsk Communist Party 
 
The PCB's Yelena Skrygan informed the media on July 18 that the 
party's Minsk city office was granted official registration.  The 
PCB applied for office re-registration last year following its 
annulment in August 2006.  Skrygan maintained that the party "did 
everything possible" to prevent the GOB from finding any errors in 
the registration paperwork.  The Ministry of Justice (MOJ) also 
endorsed the PCB's charter adopted at the party's 12th convention in 
May. 
 
¶10. MF Continues Solidarity Drive on Foot 
 
MF members on July 19 began their "solidarity drive" to show support 
for jailed activists and celebrate the imprisoned MF leader Dmitry 
Dashkevich's July 20 birthday.  MF activists planned to tour cities 
where MF members are facing GOB harassment.  However, police stopped 
the four carpooling vehicles outside of Minsk and, citing the 
drivers' "suspicious" driving licenses, escorted all the activists 
to a local police station.  Passengers were released two hours 
later, but the drivers and vehicles were detained, forcing the MF 
activists to continue the solidarity drive on foot. 
 
¶11. Activist Forced to Join the Army 
 
BSDP-Gramada member Marian Fedoruk of Brest was summoned to the 
local military registration and enlistment office on July 19 to 
learn that he would immediately be drafted to the Belarusian army. 
Fedoruk has a diagnosed health condition that prevents him from 
serving in the military.  Military officers held the activist for 
three hours and could not provide any reasonable explanation for 
their orders.  Fedoruk and his party believe the draft call is GOB 
harassment for his political activities. 
 
---------------- 
Domestic Economy 
---------------- 
 
¶12. Lukashenko Beefs Up Anti-Corruption Efforts 
 
Lukashenko on July 16 signed edict 330 establishing special units in 
the General Prosecutor's Office, Ministry of Interior, and 
Belarusian KGB to fight corruption and organized crime. Such units 
were originally established in 1997 in compliance with the 
anti-corruption law and presidential decree on anti-terrorism.  The 
president expects the edict to make anti-corruption efforts more 
efficient. 
 
------------------- 
International Trade 
------------------- 
 
 
MINSK 00000635  003 OF 003 
 
 
¶13. Belarus-China Economic Relations on The Rise 
 
 
Following his July 16 meeting with China's Finance Minister, Prime 
Minister Sergey Sidorsky announced that Belarus and China would 
carry out 35 joint projects in 2007-2010, including the upgrading of 
Minsk power and heating plants with the help of a Chinese USD 46 
million loan.  Belarus will also purchase Chinese textile, concrete, 
and food processing equipment.  In 2006, Belarus-China trade 
exceeded USD 1 billion.  Belarus' major exports to China include 
potash fertilizers, trucks, integrated circuits/microchips, raw 
hides, machinery, metal, and chemical products.  China exports 
mainly consumer goods to Belarus. 
 
--------------------- 
¶14. Quote of the Week 
--------------------- 
 
While receiving the visiting Chinese Finance Minister Jin Renging on 
July 16, Lukashenko demonstrated his master knowledge of the Chinese 
psyche: 
 
"We [Belarus and China] were looking narrowly at each other.  The 
leadership of China was especially doing this, for a long time 
guided by traditional Chinese wisdom." 
 
Stewart